Forest eyes Place 5 seat

At Monday night’s Flower Mound Town Council meeting, Claudio Forest formally announced his candidacy for the Place 5 council seat.

Place 5 is currently held by Itamar Gelbman, who has filed for a second term. The Place 5 seat will be a three-year term instead of two years after the Flower Mound Town Charter was amended by voters last November.

Forest is Chair of the Flower Mound Planning and Zoning Commission and has a long history of successful community involvement in town. He and his wife Carol have called Flower Mound home since early 2000. Their two daughters, Cassandra and Courtney, are both graduates of Flower Mound High School, attended university, and returned to live in Flower Mound where they are now homeowners.

Forest is VP of Operations for RenCon Services, Inc., a national retail/commercial construction company based in Indianapolis with offices in Flower Mound. He has been in the construction management and architecture industries for over 36 years.

For the past five years, Forest has served as president of the Summit Club, the oldest civic organization in Flower Mound, helping to serve at numerous town functions including the Independence Day Children’s Parade, Keep Flower Mound Beautiful, Veteran’s Day Ceremony, Easter Sunrise Service and many more. He is also a member of several Italian-American organizations both here in DFW and in Michigan.

In a press release, Forest stated that he “seeks to restore steady, honest and thoughtful decision making to the Place 5 seat.”

As a former commission member and current chair of Planning and Zoning for the past several years, Forest said that he has “consistently exhibited the critical skills of listening to resident concerns and ensuring those concerns and questions are answered accurately and respectfully. He believes that all residents should have a chance to be heard and present their case in order to ensure a successful future for our community.”

In regards to his candidacy, Forest said, “With the support of the voters of Flower Mound, I eagerly look forward to continuing my service to the community we love by providing balanced leadership with true integrity.”